MY BIRDWATCHING HIGHLIGHTS FOR JUNE 2006
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A few final
words for June.
As predicted, June
turned out to be a very quiet month as the migrants have got to wherever
they were going and many of the breeding birds are well into post
breeding moult, so very wisely kept a low profile as their new feathers
grew ready for their migration to start soon - or just in preparation for
the rigours of the coming winter. We are fascinated
by the way that the short toed eagles manage to keep so low a profile
while they are breeding that we simply do not see them. They arrive and
display in April, then seem
to disappear until late June, when they reappear with at least one
juvenile and are easy to see again as they nest just over the hill
behind our house. Possibly their hunting is restricted to the early
mornings while they are breeding. I do not do mornings and so perhaps
miss them! Interesting too are
the summer sightings of long legged buzzards, in suitable habitat and
during the breeding season, but not enough sightings to draw any
conclusions. What has become
depressing is the noticeable decline of several species. When we arrived
seven years ago the Tavronitis valley held the densest population of
scops owls on As well as
recording the decline in bird species it is also very noticeable how
much the bat population has gone down. As the sun set we used to see
dozens, there were so many that my bat detector became very confused
judging by the
cacophony of bleeps and burps it tried to give out as they flew around
us. Our top patio needed frequent sweeping to remove their droppings
from where they rested and fed on the insects they had caught. Now we
are lucky to see a single or now and again just two as the sun goes
down.
Until
next month, good watching. Paul Smith. |
Paul's Diary highlights commenced at the end of August 2001. The current diary is moved to the diary archive at the end of each month - if you are considering a bird watching trip to NW Crete, the previous highlights may well help you decide the best month for your visit - your link to the diary archive is below. |